That Was Then
by GilliganKane
Summary: An old notebook that shows up on moving day brings back a past she tried to bury, and tried to forget. Now, she must explain to her daughter about the woman who still has her heart.
1. Chapter 1

It was moving day. She was overwhelmed, stressed, and knee-deep in boxes marked "kitchen" that were currently sitting in her living room. Her daughter bound out of the bathroom with a grin on her face.

"I found the bedroom stuff." She could tell from this particular grin that she wasn't going to enjoy this answer very much. She put her head to her forehead and sighed heavily.

"Where?" She decided to humor the younger version of herself.

Her daughter's eye sparkled. "It's in the bathroom. I hope you find bathtubs _very _comfortable" She groaned in agony and sunk to the floor. Her daughter's laughter died off and she felt someone sit next to her, moving a box-marked garage so there was more room.

"Mom, it's not that bad." She whispered softly. The 15-year-old girl moved some of the hair from her mother's face. There were tears flowing down the cheeks attached to the face. The girl felt her heart sink a little, so she moved around so that she was facing her mom, and she took the older woman's hands in hers.

"Mom." Her mother didn't look up. "Mom." She said a little more forcefully. Her mom looked up and she smiled. "Listen, everything's going to be fine. No, great. It's going to be great. I'll go to school and be a complete rebel and…" She was sure that her mom wasn't listening. "…then I plan on doing some drugs, maybe lose my virginity in the next twelve days with a guy older than you and then I'll get put in juvie and…" Her mom's head snapped up.

"Excuse me?" She sounded angry, but the young girl just laughed.

"Had to get your attention somehow." Her mom didn't smile. "I was kidding."

"Okay, mom. I'm going to fine; you're going to be fine. This move is going to be good. You'll go to your job; I'll go to school. We'll still have movie nights on Fridays and Chinese food every Wednesday and I can still make Mac and Cheese. It's going to be a good thing, you wait."

Finally, her mom smiled. "You're too good to me." She said with pride.

"Watch it missy, or I might start charging you." The girl smiled coyly, then got up off the ground and headed for the kitchen. "I'm going to find something to eat.

Her daughter disappeared through the doorway and she got off the floor. But her daughter was back a minute later, a look of confusion on her face.

"Hey mom?" The older woman looked up and her gaze immediately caught the blue covered notebook in her daughter's hand.

"What is that?" She asked in a choked whisper, although she knew the answer.

"An old notebook. It was in the kitchen. Somehow, it got in the box marked food." Her daughter didn't pick up on her tone of voice.

She remained rooted to the spot and her eyes were fixed on that notebook. It was a regular, one subject notebook, the kind you can get at any drug store. Her name was scrawled on the front of it in graceful letters and even though she was at least 12 feet away, she knew there was a date in the small upper right corner. The cover was decorated too, random doodles and song lyrics written out.

"What is it?" Her daughters voice snapped her back to reality.

She hesitantly walked forward and took the notebook from her daughter gingerly. The handwriting struck a note in her chest and she felt like she was back in high school for a second. Finally, she looked up at her daughter.

"I have to tell you something." Her daughter raised an eyebrow, but let her mom continue. But her mom didn't talk. She merely sat down on couch and motioned for the girl to join her. So she did.

Slowly, she opened the dusty cover and let her eyes roam over the familiar handwriting. She knew what it all said. 15 years later she still knew what it said.

So she pushed it in front of her daughter, and read the first lines out loud as the girl read them silently.

_Dear Haley,_

_I'm not really sure where to begin…_


	2. Chapter 2

17 years old. Almost divorced. She didn't think her life would be even remotely like this. She had just left Nathan's house, after telling him she wanted to come home. But he didn't want to hear it. So she left.

And now, she was standing in the doorway of the place she had once called home. But it certainly didn't belong to her anymore.

Brooke entered the apartment behind her.

What was she doing here? But Haley didn't ask. Haley turned around to face the other brunette, and Haley noticed that Brooke's smile was tight and forced.

She looked a little different too. Not so much like Brooke.

The two girls stared at each other, neither saying a word. Finally, Haley turned back to the giant mark on the wall.

Brooke sighed. "Pretty angry, huh?" She seemed a little saddened.

Haley nodded and looked at Brooke. "Yeah. You'd think after three months, this would have gone away." Brooke scoffed at this.

"I don't think it's ever going away." Haley didn't think it was ever going away either.

"You can probably tell, but Nathan's not here. He… _moved_ out before he left for camp." She didn't know why she was saying this. Brooke could probably tell. Plus, there were boxes everywhere. She didn't know who they belonged to, but it wasn't Nathan.

"Yeah, I know. I-I'd say 'welcome back' but I don't suppose you're staying." Brooke's voice dropped a little, like she was disappointed or something like it.

But Haley was quick to reassure her. "No, I am."

The taller brunette relaxed a little. "Oh, well." Then she stiffened again. "You might be staying but you're not staying here, I just rented this place." There was a pause. "For me."

Haley didn't say anything as Brooke walked past her, going further into the apartment, so Haley left.

She ended up at Karen's, at TRIC, when Brooke showed up. The brunette sat at the counter, and Haley stared at her.

"How much for a broken heart with a side of regret?" Haley felt a twinge of hurt when Brooke said it, but she knew that the girl was talking from experience.

"Um… more than you wanna know." Brooke nodded, and they sat in silence for a minute before Brooke spoke again.

"Hmm, so when you're done here, bring your stuff to the apartment." Haley gave her a quizzical look.

"Why?" She asked hesitantly.

"Because you're moving _in_ with me." Brooke said it like it was something you said everyday.

"W-" Haley couldn't believe it. "-_Why_ would you _do_ that?"

Brooke shrugged. "Because _you_ need a place to live and _I_ need rent money to pay for my new back-to-school wardrobe. So, the way _I_ see it, you move in; I look hot; you don't get crabs at a shelter." Brooke smiled. "Works for me."

Haley could only hope that her mouth didn't drop as far to the ground as she assumed it did. But Brooke only smiled softly and left Haley to think about what just happened.

So Haley thought about it. And the thinking ended her up at her old apartment, staring at the mark on the wall that someone – probably Peyton – had covered with a frame and the word love. She hated Peyton for a moment, but then realized Peyton was just mad at her.

She turned away from it when Brooke entered the room. Haley noticed that the room didn't really light the way it used to when Brooke walked into the room. She didn't know why thought, and it passed when Brooke spoke to her.

"OK, here's the deal: I got a room for you but not a lot of pity; you did what you did and it's done." Haley loved that about Brooke. She didn't dwell much in the past, unless it was about Lucas – or her parents, but no one really knew that one. She didn't realize Brooke was still talking. "Take it or leave it."

Haley smiled slightly. "I'll take it."

Brooke nodded. "Alright. Come on in, roommate." Haley was led into the room that she used to share with Nathan and felt a flood of memories hit her. But she didn't think of them, she just looked at Brooke and smiled.

But she frowned when Brooke didn't smile back immediately.

Maybe the question wasn't: "What was she doing here."

Maybe it was: "What happened to bring her here."


	3. Chapter 3

Davis Elizabeth James looked up from the handwritten notebook to see what her mother's reaction was. A minute ago, she had just finished reading – out loud – an introduction letter, if you would call it that, the one that was addressed to her mother.

Her mom was absolutely shocked. Davy had never seen her mother like this before. As long as she could remember, her mother had always kept her cool. She had been the calm and collected one, always slowing Davy down if things started to speed up and mess her up. But Davy had never seen her mom like this.

She flinched when her mother dropped the plate on the ground and walked slowly towards Davy. Her hands were outstretched and shaking slightly. Davy was actually scared that something was really wrong. But her mom just grabbed the notebook gently out of her hands and opened it back to the first page, and reread it while Davy sat down on the couch and watched her.

_Dear Haley, _

_I'm not really sure where to begin this. Maybe I should start at the first moment you walked back into my life. _

Davy studied her mom; the auburn hair that was the same shade as her own brown/red head of hair, and the hazel eyes that always seemed to be able to read her. She wished she could do that with her own ice blue eyes. But she had been told that her eyes were intense, almost too intense. Another guy she knew had told that they just looked mean all the time. But she loved her eyes; they were her father's eyes.

_Don't you remember? Right after you got back from the tour. Nathan didn't want you; he was an idiot. But I have to be honest. I didn't want you around at first either. But I felt back for you. You looked so helpless and lost and…hopeful, that it broke my heart when I found you in the apartment staring at the 'love pain' on the wall. _

Davy knew all about her dad. She had heard the stories from her Grandma Deb, Aunt Karen, Uncle Luke, Aunt Peyton, and even Dan. Her mom didn't talk about him; she said it hurt too much. But her Uncle Luke said the reason was because she was really _in_ love with someone else, and then her dad died and…

_So you moved in with me. I didn't really know what to expect. When I walked up to you at TRIC, I wasn't sure how to "break it to you" that you were going to be living with me. I don't even think I gave you a choice. No, I'm pretty sure I just told you that you were moving in. But you didn't object, you smiled, shrugged, and showed up a couple of hours later with your things. I guess you could say a friendship, the kind that _best _friends share, was born in that instant._

When she lived in Charlton, Uncle Luke would drive in from Tree Hill, where her mom grew up. He'd bring Keith, who was the same age as her, with him. Keith was her uncle too, Luke's brother, but she called him Keith, because Uncle Keith sounded weird, especially since he was 3 months younger than her. But Uncle Luke would tell both of them about Nathan Scott. He was Uncle Luke's brother, Keith's brother, Dickhead Dan's son, Grandma Deb's son, and Aunt Karen's nephew.

He was her father.

_I know that the rest of this notebook will probably be the worst thing that will happen to our friendship, but I have to give it a shot. If I don't, I might never have the courage to tell you what is going on in this head of mine. Because Tutor-Girl, it has everything to do with you._

_Love, Brooke._

Davy noticed her mom was crying, but she didn't know what to do. Her mother looked up at her and Davy wished they hadn't moved all the way out to California. She knew that if Uncle Luke were here, he'd be able to take care of this. For the first time ever, she wished she was back in Tree Hill, cooking with Aunt Karen while Grandma drank coffee, and her cousins, the Scotts, ran in and out of the room making noise and annoying her. But all she heard now was the sound of her mom trying to hold back her tears.

"Hey mom?" She felt rude, ruining the moment of silence. Her mom looked up at her and sniffled.

"Who's Brooke?" She asked softly.


End file.
